Changeable exhibiters



United States Patent 3,022,592 CHANGEABLE EXHIBITERS Thomas G. Faulkner, 4594 E. Hillsborough Tampa, Fla. Filed Nov. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 775,482 3 Ciaims. (Cl. 40-140) Ave,

1958, Serial Number 759,996.

In the above identified parent application, Serial Number 754,206, I have disclosed a changeable sign character adapted for removable, but secure, attachment to spaced parallel supporting rods. In one embodiment oflthe invention as therein presented, the releasable securing means was constituted by furcated plastic element's'defining a rod receiving opening and restricted throat leading thereto, through which the rod passed. The yieldable furcations defining the throat being adapted to engage the rod to retain the character in position. In a modified embodiment of the invention disclosed in' FIGURE 17, yieldable fingers are so disposed in parallel spaced relation as to individually engage oppositely directed spaced surfaces of the supporting means. The present invention is a further development of the inventive concept of the last mentioned form of character retention.

The present embodiment of the generic inventive con cept may be broadly defined as providing a pair of oppositely directed spaced support engaging surfaces facing inwardly or outwardly in opposed relation to individually and resiliently engaged opposed sur'facesfMore specifically, this form of the invention provides yieldable and preferably plastic securing lugs arranged as opposite pairs, each pair defining inwardly or outwardly directed opposed surfaces adapted to engage the outer or inner surfaces, respectively, ofparallel character supporting surfaces. Thus, the outwardly facing surfaces may yieldably engage the inner surfaces of parallel securing rods to retain the character'in position or conversely, inwardly facing surfaces may 'yieldably'engage outwardly facing surfaces of such parallel securing rods. In one embodiment of the invention, the securing elements are integrally secured members, engaged as by plastic welding, to a plastic character body and supported on parallel rods. It will be noted, however, that in another embodiment of the invention, the inwardly facing yieldablesurfaces may be constituted by opposed inwardly directed terminal wall of a recess formed in the edge of a hollow character. It is also to be noted that the support may be in the form of a fiat strip or opposed flange as an alternate to the rods.

A5 a continuation in part of the parent application above referred to and as a companion application to my second co-pending application above referred to, this application partakes of the objects, features and advantages therein set forth and hereby incorporates such applications, by reference, in the present disclosure. Therefore, it is therewith among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel improved signboard and character assembly for releasably securing characters to changeable exhibiter supports. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, effective and efiicient means for releasably retaining a character on or between parallel supporting surfaces. A feature of the invention is that of providing for a releasable securement of such characters by a simple means, avoiding the necessity of characters.

"ice,

furcated structures, the partitions of which saddle a singl supporting bar. As distinct from such furcations, the

present invention utilizes resilient pressure created between spaced parallel support surfaces and opposed character surfaces for the retention of a character.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present invention may be apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a signboard character assemblyfformed in acordance .with the present invention. FIGURES: 2 to 7 inclusive are end elevations of various forms of the present invention, and

, FIGURES 8, 9, l0 and ll are detailed views of various modifications of the support engaging elements for the Throughout to 7, the signboard itself is indicated by the numeral 10 and may be of any conventional size, shape. andstyle.. its here shown the board is an. elongate, generally-flat member, preferably formed .of plastic material. If desired, where illumination is to be provided from the rear of the signboard, the material of the board will be transparent or translucent and of such color as may be desired. In FIGURES 1 to 5 of the drawing, the support. elements are disclosed as rods 11, which may be a circular, hollow cross-section as illusl'trated and formed of plastic material to facilitate mounting on the board 10 by plastic welding. It will, of course,

be understoodthat in accordance wtih the disclosure of my parent application, the rods 11 may be other than of circular cross-section here shown. They may be of other material than plastic and the hollow characteristic depicted hasno patentable significance. Throughout the drawings, the numeral 12 indicates hollow formed letters having side edges to be disposed in planes normal to the planeof the board when the letters are supported by the rods.. The means of securement of the present invention is equally applicableto flat letters which are indicated in the drawings by the numeral v13.

For securing the hollow letter 12 of FIGURES 1 and 2, the edges .of the hollow letter are provided'with extending securing clips .14, preferably joined to the letter as an integral part thereof by plastic welding, the letter and the clip beingformed of plastic material in a preferred form of the invention. As illustrated, the clips 14 are arranged h in pairs at the opposite edges of the letter with their inner ends preferably securedto the inner face of the edges as by plastic welding and extend outwardly therefrom in a juxtaposed parallel plane with the letter edge. The vertical spacing between the clips 14 of each letter is determined by the spacing of the rods 11. Where the clips are arranged wtih their engaging surfaces facing inwardly in opposition to each other as shown in FIGURE 2, the longitudinal axes of the clips are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the spacing between the longitudinal axes of the rods. Each clip 14 is provided with an inwardly directed terminal end 15 forming an inclined rod engaging surface 16 as shown in FIGURE 10. The arrangement and spacing of the clips is such that upon inward pressure of the letter in the direction of the face surface of the board 10, the clip ends 15 will yield outwardly to pass over the outer surface of the rods. The material of the clip is such as to permit such passage, and while plastic material is ideally suited for the purpose, it will be understood that the invention is in no way limited to such material and equivalent material having the desired elasticity may be employed. It is, of course, understood that after the letter has been pressed in the direction of theface of the board and surfaces 16 pass the maximum vertical thickness of the'rods 11, the clip ends will spring inwardly to engage the outer surface of the rods inwardly of their maximum vertical thickness to releasably retain the character in position;

In that form of the invention shown by the letter F in FIGURE 1 and depicted in FIGURE 3, the clips may "be applied to the inner face of flat letters, the same general type'of clip being here illustrated and identified by the numeral 17. As indicated by the letter I of FIG- UR'E 1 and shown in FIGURE 4, the clips may be spaced a distance 'apart'slightly less than the distance between the rods so that the clips will engage thetinner faces of the rods as'distinct'ifrorn their outer engagement shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. It will,-of course, be understood that with the clips so arranged forengagement with the inner surfaces of thero'ds, the position of the clips is rep versed so their engaging surfaces 16 will face outwardly,

the clips thus being disposed in spaced back to back opposed relation. In this form of the invention, the appli* cation of the letter and th'e reilient damping action of thejelips is 'inthe'inannerof the clip arrangement of FIG- URES 2 and '3, but in reverse pressure opera'tion, the pressure of the clips being outwardly against the rods in this form of the invention 'as opposed to the inward pressure exerted bythe clips of FIGURES 2 and 3. l

As indicated in FIGURES 5, 6, and 7, hollow letters having side ed es adapted 'to 'be disposed in a planenorinalto the face of the signboar'd may form the securing directed flanges 23 as in FIGURE In either instance;

the parallel side edges of the flat plate 21, constitutes the 'c'quiyalent of the spaced rods 11. WhiIeFIGURES '6 and 7 {depict such fiat'plates as supporting hollow type letters cut away in the manner-described with respect to Y FIGURE 5 it will 'of-coursebe understood that the same flat plate may be utilized for the'support of letters formed with inwardly directed clips 'in the manner of FIGURE 3.

It'willbe further noted that the contour of the rod or 'plate engaging surfaces of the clips may be variously jformed. Thus, as in FIGURE 8, the rod or plateerigaging surface 24 isof circular form so that the clip may engage a rod, such as indicated at 25, a't a poin't'substantially spaced from the body of letter indicated at 26. However, a similar curvature may be'enap'loyed as indicated'in FIGURE 9, where the surface '27 is circular but blends into the plane of the inner face 28 of the letter body 29. While FIGURE 10 shows a fiat, inclined rod engaging surface as hereinbefore described, FIGURE 11 indicates a curved surface '30 in lieu of the flat angular plane 16 of FIGURE 10. 1

in the practice of the'invention, numerous changes, modifications and full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in theappended claims.

What I claim is:- a

1. A changeable exhibiter comprising a supporting plate adapted to be positioned upright in a vertical plane,

'a pair of sub'stantially round rods secured to one face of the plate in vertically spaced horizontal parallel relation, a'display character comprising a hollow plastic body having side walls providing-"substantially vertically extending free edgepo'rtions vertically separated by substantially the spacing between said rods, and means for detachably mounting said character (in said supporting plate comprising a pair ofclipsrnounted'on each side of said character and "eachclip comprising a relatively'thin flat body of resilient plastic disposed in a vertical plane normal to 'the plane or the supporting plate andvhaving a forward portion integrally secured toone iofsaid side portions and a rear portion rearwardly projecting therefrom and formed with a curvededg'e, said curved edges of the twoclips on each side of the'charaete'r being relatively opposed whereby said two clips are engageable with opposite surfaces of the respective rods and are adapted to be resiliently snapped onto and'ofl ofsai'dtrods.

2. A changeable exhibiter as claimed in claim 1 in which the lower 'edges'of the upper clips andthe upper edges 'of the lowerfclips on the i-sides of the character are "curved andsaidiclips engage respectively the upper side "of the upper rod and the lower side of the lowerrod. v

. 3. A changeable'exhibiter as claimed in claim '1 in which the upper "edges of the upper clips and the lower edges of the lower clips onthe sides of the character are curved and said clips engage respectively the lower side of the upper rod and the upper side of the lower rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 

